(upbeat music)
(speaking in foreign language)
- Hi guys, my name is Tiffany Rachael,
me and three of my friends will be talking about
two black-owned restaurants, here in Tokyo.
(upbeat music)
- [Tiffany] No, listen,
It's been a minute since we got together,
- Yes! - thanks for joining me,
I think it's this way let's go,
- [Friend] Okay, okay. - yeah.
So, what y'all want to eat?
What're we eating today?
- I want some grits
actually, they got cornbread?
- Oh, I know! That'd be good.
Yeah I'm telling you,
this area is really really fancy,
its like really expensive.
- They got some fancy but
its like really nice family vibes.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's a place where I don't feel
out of place too much, you know?
(upbeat music)
- Hey guys, we're here with the owners of Soul Food House,
you guys, please introduce yourself.
- Hi, my name is LaTonya Whitaker,
- And I'm David Whitaker.
- So what made you guys wanna open
the Soul Food House here in Tokyo?
- [LaTonya] After I got pregnant with my son,
it was just like,
I love Japan,
but I need some food.
I knew that I wanted some chicken and dumplings,
some catfish, and some mac and cheese.
It was a done deal.
- [Tiffany] Wow, wow. (laughing)
Yeah, cause I know you guys like,
every year for Thanksgiving,
you guys have like a whole special,
and the reservations go insane.
- Yes.
- [LaTonya] Before we opened this restaurant,
literally, everybody would come to our house.
So yeah,
it was just a family affair.
- [Tiffany] That's crazy - [LaTonya] And we wanted to
have that kind of atmosphere where
people are coming to the house,
hence, Soul Food House,
because when you come here, you're coming home.
(speaking foreign language) (cheering)
- This is vegan, - [Mayowa] Okay,
which is so good! - [Miles] Is it?
- It's so good!
- [Miles] Which one?
Yo, this my first time eating grits,
- [Tiffany] Drum roll please, - [Katie] Drum roll please,
(drumming on table)
- [Tiffany] How'd it feel?
- Umai, (laughing)
so good. - [Tiffany] They helped us,
This is good, good.
What was it like to open it, you know,
in this location,
Were the people accepting of it?
- We did not think we were gonna open in this location.
But opportunities opened,
and a guy, his name was Marcus,
he wanted to pass on his legacy,
he asked us if we would take over
and we went into a partnership together.
- [Tiffany] Wow.
- It was actually the better way,
because opening a restaurant
as foreign-foreign in Japan,
is quite difficult.
- What's your guys' like, popular dish here?
- [David] Chicken waffle,
ultimate chicken waffle,
ribs,
catfish,
shrimp and grits. - [LaTonya] Yes,
but everybody, is pretty much...
Unless they have a cheese allergy,
mac and cheese all day long. - [Tiffany] Oh I see, I see,
My personal favorite as well.
- Yes.
- Aight this is the vegan mac and cheese,
(exclaiming)
- [Katie] Its the vegan mac and cheese!
- [Tiffany] We're gonna fight over the last bit of it.
(unorganized chatter) (plates clattering)
- [Miles] Yo, get some of these too.
- [David] The ultimate chicken waffle?
- [Katie] Right here.
(indistinct conversing)
That ultimate chicken and waffles.
(screaming) look at this!
She's so pretty, she's ready!
(laughing)
Yes!
- [LaTonya] It is okay?
- [All] Yes!
- It's so good.
(laughter) Listen, I might go vegan.
(laughing) like that's how good it is.
- [LaTonya] Now that one is very good,
it does go well together but you know,
being that I'm from Mississippi,
I have to pay homage,
(laughing)
- [Miles] Aight imma eat these, eat that,|
(laughing)
waffles and- - That's so good,
- There was a young man
who was here with his girlfriend and friends.
After dinner,
he came over, he was like, "Can I have a hug?"
And he whispered in my ear and he was like,
"Thank you so much because I was missing home.
And you just gave me that touch of home."
But when we get those kinds of stories...
It's that...
I wanna be able to give that hug and say,
"Hey, we love you, you're not alone here."
- So any advice, or inspiring words
you would give to black people
who wanna come to Japan to live,
or start their own business?
- On the business side, do research.
- [LaTonya] Yes.
- Research what you want to do
and what it takes to do it.
- In Japan, we realized that it takes a community to build.
And so if we all just come in and work together,
then we can do this.
- [Tiffany] Wow, yeah we know,
we thank you guys for having this place,
and thank you from me, for having a place of home.
- (laughs) Girl, you know- - Thank you guys
for having me today.
No seriously, (LaTonya laughing)
thank you LaTonya,
thank you David. - [LaTonya] Thank you so much!
- It brings back like memories of my mom's cooking where,
all the essence that I miss about America is here in Tokyo.
(upbeat music)
The food tour is not over.
To see where I'm headed next,
head over to "Bring Me" .
(upbeat music)